Lake County Captains to hold 10th annual Challenger Baseball Day

The Lake County Captains will host the Eastside Challenger Baseball team for its 10th Annual Challenger Baseball Day at 10:30 a.m. July 9 at Classic Park in Eastlake.

Challenger Baseball, an official division of the National Little League Baseball, is an adaptive game for individuals with special needs.

With Challenger Baseball, it doesn’t matter if the kids are in wheelchairs, using walkers or anything else — they can still play the game, said Deb Straniero, commissioner and coach. Whatever the kids’ needs, the coaches will accommodate it so they can hit the ball.

During the Challenger game at Classic Park, the Captains will be playing outfield for the three-inning game.

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The Captains will stumble over each other and they overthrow the ball at first base, having a lot of fun with it while the Challenger players are going round the bases, according to Nick Dobrinich, manager of Lake County Captains box office and dales.

The Captains try to get the Challenger players out, but they are never able to. They are engaging the kids, and that is what makes it a cool thing to see, Dobrinich said.

“Basically the kids come out and we play on the field and the Captains are our buddies and it’s like the greatest thing you have ever seen because they are playing on a big league field and the big boys are all dressed in their home whites,” Straniero said.

According to Dobrinich, it’s hard to tell who has more fun — the Captains players or kids.

“When they do this, those guys are smiling and joking around with the kids the whole time and it’s a really incredible thing to be a part of,” he said.

The Challenger Baseball game will take place before the Captains’ 1:30 p.m. game against the West Michigan Whitecaps and is included in the regular admission price.

The gates are opened early the day of the game so people can come and watch the Eastside Challenger team play. There were about 200 tickets sold for the 2016 Challenger Baseball game.

“These games give families an opportunity to connect with each other,” Dobrinich said. “You get to meet someone who may be going through something similar or totally different, and it gives an opportunity to bring everyone together.”

For ticket information on the Challenger Baseball game, contact Dobrinich or the Classic Park Box Office at 440-975-8085, ext. 110 or ndobrinich@captainsbaseball.com.